Refusing to Love
by YoureAPenName
Summary: When Ryoga meets a woman in the woods, he finally gets the love he deserves. But he refuses to accept it.
1. Gray and Brown

Chapter 1

"Shit," Ryoga spat, "lost again."

Ryoga was surrounded by lush trees, exuberant lakes and rivers, vibrant butterflies, and clean, cool air. This was exactly what he did _not_ want to see. He wanted to see the dullness of the buildings in Nerima. He wanted to hear the tired bells of the school. Most importantly, he wanted to see Akane. _P-Chan_ wanted to see Akane.

Ryoga sighed. He wondered how a trip to the general store 4 meters away ended up becoming a two day camp in the mountains of Japan. He continued walking in the tall grass, slouched with his head down in utter disappointment in himself for getting lost again.

After walking in what seemed like miles of unwanted green, Ryoga finally spotted a gray speck. Gray! He believed he finally saw the gray of Tokyo. He smiled and quickened his pace, eager to go home. ' _Yes, yes, yes,_ ' Ryoga thought.

As he approached the gray, he noticed another color. Brown? He finally made out a...hat? Then a backpack, and then legs. He deciphered a young woman in tan shorts, a tan polo, and a brown hat. Her long gray hair blended into the gray mountain that he spotted.

"Um, excuse me," Ryoga called, "can you tell me where I am please?"

The girl turned around, revealing a gold badge. ' _A park ranger, perfect!'_ Ryoga thought.

"Hello! You're on the outskirts of Yamanashi in Shibireko park! Can I help you with anything?" Her breath was tired and her face was pink from the sun. Despite her exhausted demeanor, her big brown eyes were lively and her smile was wide. She looked truly happy. Although she matched the colors of Tokyo, the forest seemed to be where she belonged.

"Actually I was wondering if you know how to get to Nerima."

"Nerima!?" her eyes brightened, "is that where you're from? I have family in Nerima! It's actually a really simply trip. All you need to do is walk back into town and take the train to Tokyo. Should get you to your destination in a few hours."

Ryoga's heart skipped a beat. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. My name is Ryoga by the way."

She smiled. "I'm Rina. Safe travels."

Ryoga waved goodbye and walked back in the direction he came from. He momentarily glanced back and noticed that she was the only beautiful thing in this forest.

Rina continued her hike but felt inclined to glance back at Ryoga. She smiled at his confident stance as he marched back into town. She made sure to remember his yellow headband and toned figure for the next time she visited Nerima. Talking about Tokyo made her feel nostalgic and Rina began missing her family.

Perhaps she will visit there soon.


	2. Arriving

Chapter 2

After three hours on the empty and cold bus that seemed to go only straight, Ryoga expected to see anything but his destination. For once, he did not get lost. He wondered if this was due to the mercy of the navigation gods or to Rina's unexplainable talent at guiding lost people. He relaxed in his seat and released a relieved smile. He wondered just how long he had been gone and if Akane and the others had even noticed if he was missing.

He blushed. _Akane_. He was excited to see her smile and feel her loving touch, even if this love was directed at his piglet counterpart.

The familiar gray buildings that passed by grew in number. He was finally approaching the city so Ryoga began rehearsing his entrance to Akane's home.

 _Should I hug her? No no no maybe I should just play it cool. Okay, strut in there, swoop Akane off her feet, and run away into the sunset. Wait but that means I would need to wait two more hours for the sun to set…Sigh. I should just go in as P-Chan. She's only missing him anyway._

The bus pulled to a stop in a familiar gray street. Ryoga immediately hopped off. He thought of the ranger, Rina, and mentally thanked her for helping him back home. After sending her a mental box of sweets with a thank you card carried by a dove, Ryoga straightened his back and marched onward to Akane's home. He was ready.

Upon reaching her home, he took a deep breath. He raised his arm and held it. _Do it, do it, do it, do it._ He gently knocked…No answer. He tried again, a bit too loud this time. Embarrassed, Ryoga turned to escape before Akane saw who was rudely banging on her door. Before he could escape the awkward situation, the door swung open, revealing Ranma in his Martial Arts uniform.

"Heeeey Ryoga! What happened to the eggs you were supposed to get? Did you stop to beat the meat? Come on, I know it takes you a long time to get it up but I didn't know it takes three days!" Ranma pulled Ryoga inside and laughed triumphantly at his joke.

"Very funny," said Ryoga, sardonically.

Ryoga immediately recalled the essence of a comforting home: the smell of Kasumi's dinner, the warmth of the fire, and the faint arguing of Soun and Genma. His heart filled with warmth as he imagined he was returning to his own home. He imagined finally being a part of a family.

"Hey everyone look who finally showed up! Next time we should just get a chicken to lay the eggs; that'll probably be faster," Ranma exclaimed as he led Ryoga to the dining room. Everyone was there, all getting ready to have dinner. Soun and Genma were in their usual spots with Happosai stuck in the middle so that he wouldn't sexually harass Akane.

"Turn Ryoga to a beautiful girl and then I'll be happy when he shows up," said Happosai. "Hey speaking of turning, why don't you make dinner pleasant and turn into your prettier counterpart, Ranma?" exclaimed Happosai as he reached for the cold water to dump on Ranma.

"Shut up old man," said Ranma as he quickly grabbed the water and dumped it on Happosai.

"Ryoga where have you been!? We've all been so worried!" Akane hugged Ryoga. "Next time I'll go with you so you're not on your own." Ryoga stood speechless. He simply stared at Akane, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to tell her had gotten lost, but also didn't want her to think he intentionally left her to bake her cake without eggs.

"Well...All the stores in town ran out of eggs...for the holidays. So I went to the next town over and had a few obstacles get in the way" Ryoga said, nervous of her reaction.

"That is very kind of you Ryoga, thank you for always making an effort for this family. Unlike SOME people" Akane said as she glared at Ranma. "Sit down Ryoga you must be exhausted. Nabiki and Kasumi should be finishing up with dinner."

Ryoga remained standing for several minutes before he decided where to sit. _Sitting next to Akane would be ideal but that would be too forward. If I sit across from her, I might miss something that she says because of the men's loud chewing._ After some contemplation, Ryoga came to the conclusion that sitting 45 degrees from her, at the head of the table would be perfect.

A few minutes later, Nabiki and Kasumi emerged from the kitchen with three dishes.

"Ryoga! I'm so glad you're joining us for dinner," said Kasumi with her typical heartwarming smile. She placed the pots on the dining table and revealed an appealing fish with rice and miso soup.

"I am also glad. It looks wonderful Kasumi, thank you," said Ryoga with a smile.

"I suggest you start eating; the panda in me has a huge appetite," said Genma, excited and drooling at the meal.

"Go eat some bamboo and leave the real food to the humans, fat man" said Happosai as he grabbed the serving spoon from Genma.

After few minutes into the typical chaos of a Tendo dinner, there was a knock at the door. Not wanting to leave his delectable dinner to vulchers sitting next to him, Ranma nudged Happosai to get the door. "Oy you don't even have teeth to chew your food go see who's here, old man," said Ranma mid bite.

"Oh Ranma, you know I would but alas, my bones are frail and I am too short to reach the door handle, perhaps someone of taller stature," said Happosai as he nudged Soun. "You are the man of the house after all"

"Oh so only when there are women involved can you magically leap eight feet!?" Soun angrily said, annoyed at Happosai's obvious call for pity.

"Enough you lazy animals. The only one here who legitimately has an excuse for being a lazy animal is Genma! Unbelievable!" said Akane as she stood to get the door.

Satisfied, everyone continued to plow through their dinner until they heard something drop and break.

With a sigh, Ranma stood to check up on Akane. "Akane you can't do such a simple task without breaking something can y-" Ranma paused as he saw Akane's still demeanor.

"...Rina..?" Akane softly said as she continued to stare at the nervous figure in front of her.

Rina looked down. "Hey Akane...I've missed you," said Rina nervously. She was unsure how her sudden appearance was going to be taken.

"IS THAT A GIRL I HEAR!?" Happosai squealed as he jumped from the table and ran to the door.

Ranma emerged from his daze and grabbed Happosai. "Get out of here you pervy old man"

Akane too emerged from her daze. "You must be freezing," she said as she took Rina's hand. "Come in, come in."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hi everyone! I know that Akane would never call Genma by his first name, out of respect. But for all intents and purposes I'm just going to refer to everyone by their first name to make it easier. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I would love to hear some feedback, particularly about the length of the chapters.


End file.
